Case study

Health

Redevelopment of the King's College Hospital Emergency Department

Issue
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was investing significant resources to completely redesign its Emergency Department. The aim was to improve facilities for all its patients, in particular mental health service users, following the closure of the local emergency mental health facility.

A formal consultation process was necessary to gather the views of local people on its proposals. Communications Management was commissioned to provide strategic and tactical support for this process.

Strategy
Despite this being a redevelopment which affected the whole local community, there was a risk that not all voices would be heard and that only those who had been campaigning against the closure of the dedicated mental health facility would engage.

The strategy was designed to give all sections of the community the opportunity to contribute. The consultation was launched with a series of informal preview events, for staff, those who had been involved in the engagement phase and key stakeholders.

The programme included roadshows in the local community, an accessible consultation document and a proactive strategy of offering briefings and meetings to a wide variety of local groups.

Impact
Over 700 people engaged in the consultation, and stakeholders responded positively to the opportunity to give their views.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has used the results of this consultation to make some changes to their initial proposals and continues to work with their local communities to design the best service possible.